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| CA-NEWS Summary Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 11:55 PM PDT South Korea vows fast response to North; U.S. deploys stealth jets SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will strike back quickly if the North stages any attack on its territory, the new president in Seoul warned on Monday, as tensions ratcheted higher on the Korean peninsula amid shrill rhetoric from Pyongyang and the U.S. deployment of radar-evading fighter planes. North Korea says the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of United Nations sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korean military drills that have included a rare U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea vows fast response to North; U.S. deploys stealth jets Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 11:55 PM PDT  By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will strike back quickly if the North stages any attack on its territory, the new president in Seoul warned on Monday, as tensions ratcheted higher on the Korean peninsula amid shrill rhetoric from Pyongyang and the U.S. deployment of radar-evading fighter planes. North Korea says the region is on the brink of a nuclear war in the wake of United Nations sanctions imposed for its February nuclear test and a series of joint U.S. and South Korean military drills that have included a rare U.S. show of aerial power. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Korea pledges "strong response" to North Korean "provocation" Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 07:54 PM PDT SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Monday there would be strong and swift military response to any North Korean provocation without regard to political consequences, after Pyongyang said at the weekend it was entering a state of war with its rival. "If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," Park told the minister of defense and its senior officials at a meeting on Monday. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by David Chance) Full Story | Top |
| Insight: China's losing battle against state-backed polluters Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:58 PM PDT  By David Stanway SHANGHANG COUNTY, China (Reuters) - When Zijin Mining Group threatened to move its headquarters some 270 kms from its home county of Shanghang to Xiamen on China's southeast coast, a local Communist Party boss rushed to confront the company's chairman Chen Jinghe. "If you want to move, you'll have to move the Zijin Mountain to Xiamen as well," the official told Chen, referring to a vast local mine that has helped transform the firm into China's top gold producer and second-biggest copper miner. ... Full Story | Top |
| Iran sanctions spur boom for Pakistani diesel smugglers Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 05:38 PM PDT  By Hamdan Albaloshi JOGAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Some of the contraband is spirited across the mountains in Pepsi bottles carried by child smugglers. Yet more is loaded into pick-up trucks or siphoned into barrels and strapped onto mules. So lucrative are the returns that even seasoned opium traffickers are abandoning their traditional cargo to grab a share of Pakistan's closest thing to an oil boom: a roaring trade in illicit Iranian diesel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's Osborne defends welfare cuts after church attacks Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 05:07 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government on Monday defended a raft of new welfare spending cuts, a key plank of efforts to rein in spending as the economy flounders, after church leaders attacked the changes as unjust. Finance minister George Osborne and Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith labeled opponents of their plan as "shrill", and insisted it would lead to a fairer benefits system and encourage more Britons to work. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. F-22 stealth jets join South Korea drills amid saber-rattling Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:01 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sent F-22 stealth fighter jets to South Korea on Sunday to join military drills aimed at underscoring the U.S. commitment to defend Seoul in the face of an intensifying campaign of threats from North Korea. The advanced, radar-evading F-22 Raptors were deployed to Osan Air Base, the main U.S. Air Force base in South Korea, from Japan to support ongoing bilateral exercises, the U.S. military command in South Korea said in a statement that urged North Korea to restrain itself. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fighting erupts after car bombing in Mali Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:48 PM PDT By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian soldiers backed by French fighter jets battled Islamist rebels in Timbuktu on Sunday after insurgents used a car bomb as cover to infiltrate the northern desert town, sources said. The French-led offensive in Mali has pushed a mix of Islamists out of their northern strongholds and remote mountain bases but the militants have hit back with several suicide attacks and guerilla-style raids. ... Full Story | Top |
| Syria says rebels set fire to three eastern oil wells Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:33 PM PDT  BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have set three oil wells in the east of the country ablaze, causing a daily loss of nearly 5,000 barrels of oil and 52,000 cubic meters of gas, state media quoted an oil ministry official as saying on Sunday. SANA news agency said the damage to the oil wells in Deir al-Zor province, much of which is in rebel hands, followed disputes among the fighters over "sharing out the stolen oil" from fields in areas they control. It said Syria's Furat Petroleum Corporation was working to extinguish the three fires. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt's Mursi sends Islamic bond law to clerics: TV Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:16 PM PDT  CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi referred a law allowing the state to issue Islamic bonds to a panel of top Muslim scholars on Sunday, state television said, a step that could complicate the government's plans to pass the legislation. The parliament led by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party approved the law earlier this month and referred it to Mursi, triggering a protest last week by Al-Azhar, the country's leading Islamic authority. Al-Azhar said its top scholars should have been consulted, as stated in the new, Islamist-tinged constitution passed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Central African Republic leader takes defense ministry in caretaker government Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 12:51 PM PDT  By Ange Aboa BANGUI (Reuters) - Central African Republic's new leader Michel Djotodia announced a caretaker government on Sunday in which he is defense minister, according to a statement issued by his spokesman. The new government, which is due to hold elections in the mineral-rich former French colony within three years, will retain civilian opposition representative Nicolas Tiangaye as prime minister. ... Full Story | Top |
| South Africa says Mandela's condition has improved Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 12:07 PM PDT  By Ed Stoddard JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The condition of South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela has improved further, the government said on Sunday, as the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero spent a fourth day in hospital receiving treatment for pneumonia. "Nelson Mandela had a restful day," South Africa's presidency said in a statement, adding doctors treating him had reported "a further improvement in his condition". "Government is satisfied that the doctors are providing the former president with the best medical care possible to enable his recovery and comfort," the statement said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Flash floods kill at least 10 people in Mauritius Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 11:34 AM PDT PORT LOUIS (Reuters) - At least 10 people have been killed in flash floods in Mauritius and more downpours could be on the way, officials and the Indian Ocean island's meteorological service said on Sunday. The deaths occurred on Saturday and most of the victims were trapped in an underpass leading to the Caudan Waterfront, a commercial area in Port Louis. Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said on Sunday that Port Louis had a torrential downpour with 152 mm falling in two hours. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egyptian satirist questioned for insulting Mursi, freed on bail Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 10:28 AM PDT  By Tom Perry CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian prosecutors questioned Egypt's most popular television satirist on Sunday over allegations that he insulted President Mohamed Mursi, a case regarded by his critics as new proof of a crackdown on dissent. Bassem Youssef turned himself in after the prosecutor general issued an arrest warrant for him on Saturday. He was released on bail of 15,000 Egyptian pounds ($2,200). Youssef rose to fame with a satirical online show after the uprising that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. His program, which has been compared to the Daily Show of U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tanzania pulls 29 bodies from rubble of fallen building Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 09:39 AM PDT  DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Rescue workers have pulled 29 bodies from the rubble of a collapsed building in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, a senior official said on Sunday. The building of more than 12 storeys, which had been under construction near a mosque in the Kariakoo district around the city center, caved in on Friday morning. Several cars were crushed and boys playing soccer nearby were among the dead. "We have now recovered a total of 29 bodies from the rubble of the collapsed building," Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick told Reuters. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pope appeals for end to Korea tensions in first Easter message Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 09:31 AM PDT  By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, appearing before more than 250,000 people for his first Easter Sunday address, called for world peace, respect for the environment and a diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Korean peninsula. In his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message, he also appealed for a resumption of peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, an end to the civil war in Syria and political solutions to conflicts in several African countries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt reopens Alexandria airport after runway protest Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 09:13 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Alexandria's airport reopened late on Sunday afternoon, state media said, after Egyptian police officers ended their runway sit-in over higher pay which closed the country's second biggest airport for over six hours. The officers, responsible for passport control and security at El-Borj airport on the Mediterranean coast, called off their protest after a meeting a senior aviation official to discuss some of their demands, state news agency MENA said. "The civil aviation authority regrets this irresponsible behavior," MENA said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy president under fire for ignoring women in "wise men" group Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 08:22 AM PDT ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano faced criticism on Sunday for failing to name any women to the 10-strong "wise men" panel of experts he appointed to help find a way out of the political deadlock created by last month's election. The group of advisers, including a former head of the constitutional court, the chief of statistics agency ISTAT, a board member of the Bank of Italy and senior politicians from the center-right and center-left blocs in parliament, are due to meet for the first time on Tuesday. "It's sad, very sad. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italian president at center of storm as deadlock continues Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 08:20 AM PDT  By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italy's 87-year-old President Giorgio Napolitano will face the greatest test of his career during his final weeks in office as he tries to end the standoff preventing a new government being formed more than a month after elections. Following widespread reports he may resign to open the way for a new vote, Napolitano pledged to remain in office at the Quirinale palace until his term ends on May 15, averting the immediate threat of further turmoil. ... Full Story | Top |
| IMF team to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday for loan talks Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:51 AM PDT  By Ulf Laessing CAIRO (Reuters) - An IMF delegation will arrive in Egypt on Wednesday for talks with the government on a $4.8 billion loan, a government spokesman said on Sunday, as Cairo seeks to conclude a deal vital to easing a deep economic crisis. Spokesman Alaa El Hadidi added that Egypt would not seek any emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund and faced no "crisis" in funding the import of essential commodities. The most populous Arab country has been seeking a loan from the Fund to ease economic strains after two years of political upheaval. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kenya mostly calm after vote ruling; minor clashes in west Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:42 AM PDT  By Edmund Blair and Hezron Ochiel NAIROBI/KISUMU, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenyan police clashed on Sunday with a few dozen protesters angry at a court's confirmation of Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect, but the unrest was minor compared with the nationwide bloodshed after the last disputed election. There was little sign of violence beyond Kisumu, a city in the west of Kenya where there is strong backing for Prime Minister Raila Odinga, loser in the presidential election. Kisumu and other regions were devastated by deadly riots after the vote in 2007. ... Full Story | Top |
| Afghanistan's Karzai in Qatar, Taliban talks in focus Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:41 AM PDT  DOHA (Reuters) - President Hamid Karzai held talks with Qatari leaders on Sunday, official media reported, on a visit the Kabul government has said would seek to explore the possibility of talks with Taliban insurgents on ending Afghanistan's war. Karzai's trip to the Gulf Arab state, a U.S. ally which has mediated in conflicts in Arab or Muslim countries, follows years of stalled discussions among the United States, Pakistan and the Taliban about a possible Afghan settlement. ... Full Story | Top |
| German opposition parties warn each other: don't team up with Merkel Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:08 AM PDT  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's two main opposition parties traded warnings on Sunday against joining forces with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives after September's election if they fail to win their own left-of-center majority. The leaders of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens party issued unusually shrill messages to each others' supporters about the risk their votes might end up going to a party that could join forces in a coalition with Merkel. ... Full Story | Top |
| Nigerian army says kills 14 Islamist insurgents in raid Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 06:05 AM PDT KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian soldiers killed 14 suspected Islamist insurgents on Sunday during a dawn raid on a house in the main northern city of Kano, the military said. Islamist sect Boko Haram wants to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria. It and other Islamist groups have become the main threat to stability on Africa's top oil-producing state and increasingly menace neighbors like Cameroon. Boko Haram has killed hundreds in gun and bomb attacks, including 25 in Kano earlier in March, since it intensified an insurgency two years ago. ... Full Story | Top |
| NATO eyes missile shield progress with Russia after U.S. move Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 04:40 AM PDT  By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - NATO hopes a U.S. change to global missile defenses will dispel Russian concern and foster cooperation on an issue that has long strained relations, alliance Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said in an interview. Russia has said U.S. missile shield plans could erode its nuclear deterrent. It has softened criticism since Washington announced on March 16 that it would station 14 missile interceptors in Alaska in response to North Korean nuclear threats and at the same time forgo a new type of interceptor that would have been deployed in Europe. ... Full Story | Top |
| ECB's Draghi phoned Napolitano over resignation reports: press Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:49 AM PDT  ROME (Reuters) - European Central Bank President Mario Draghi phoned Italian President Giorgio Napolitano after media reports that the 87-year-old head of state was planning to resign early to clear the way for new elections, newspapers reported on Sunday. Napolitano pledged on Saturday that he would stay in office until the end of his term on May 15 following reports that he planned to step down to break the deadlock created by last month's election, which left no party able to form a government. ... Full Story | Top |
| Egypt says will not discuss emergency loan with IMF Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 03:37 AM PDT CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will not discuss the possibility of an emergency loan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and faces "no crisis" in importing essential imports, government spokesman Alaa El Hadidi said on Sunday. He also said reports of possible financial support from Arab countries such as Libya and Iraq were "speculation", adding that Egypt wanted to boost investment from those countries. (Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Robin Pomeroy) Full Story | Top |
| Afghans warned: the taxman is coming after you Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:33 AM PDT  By Katharine Houreld KABUL (Reuters) - One of Afghanistan's most surprising success stories lies tucked away on a potholed street notorious for suicide bombings and lined with rusting construction equipment. The work of the country's top tax collector is more inspiring than the view from his office in Kabul. Taxes and customs raised $1.64 billion last financial year, a 14-fold increase on 10 years ago. That means, now, the government can pay just over half of its recurrent costs such as salaries. ... Full Story | Top |
| Chopper crash kills five South African soldiers on rhino patrol Sunday, Mar 31, 2013 01:26 AM PDT JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Five South African soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday while they were on patrol for rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park, the defense department said on Sunday. A spokesman said the five were taking part in "Operation Rhino", in which the army is trying to stop the slaughter of the animals for their horns, worth more than their weight in gold. The cause of the crash is under investigation. On Wednesday, three suspected poachers were killed in a shoot-out with rangers in the vast Kruger, where the killing of the animals has become rampant. ... Full Story | Top |
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